other boats I’ve sailed and slept
on, but the downside is that the
boat is rather smaller than other
29-footers down below.’
Another owner, Richard
Readings, told me he and his
wife regularly cruised two-up to
the Channel Isles, Brittany and
the West Country. He praised
his twin-keeler’s performance,
noting that it ‘made little difference
when compared with a friend’s
shallow-keel
S29, sailing in
company.’
By contrast,
another owner said: ‘Keep her
upright when sailing to windward,
or the slamming of the weather
keel will drive you mad.’ A bit
harsh perhaps, because much
the same can be said of many
twin-keelers when sailing
well-heeled into waves.
The later Stephen Jones-
designed Sadler 290 never
achieved the same number of
buyers. Its builders folded after
around 40 were produced, but
that does not detract from this
exceptional boat’s performance.
Both twin and fin versions have
lead keels and sail superbly. If you
see one for sale, take a look: but
it won’t be cheap.
The Mirage 28 is another
popular fin- or twin-keel cruiser
built in large numbers in the late
’70s and ’80s. Its 9ft 3in beam
gives a spacious conventional
layout below, while a 40% ballast
ratio and 289 DLR ensure good
stability. One French magazine
tested fin- and twin-keel versions
together, and was surprised athow little the performance differed.
Alan Hollingsworth, twin-keel
Mirage Mk ll owner since 1986,
told me: ‘Having heavy shaped
cast keels with a small boot at
the bottom, she points well to
windward for a twin-keeler and
sets into a groove easily: there
is very little slamming.
‘My son and I have cruised
Chinook together since he was
10 years old: we like the way
the yacht behaves in all
conditions, giving a sense of
safety. We both know that she
will look after us even if we
make a mistake.’Sportier cruisers
And what about the sportier
cruisers of the ’80s and ’90s?
The Hunter Impala 28 (1977
onwards) has many fans –
including PBO’s Ben Meakins.
Designed as an Offshore One
Design by David Thomas, the
Impala still makes a competitive
racer: but don’t overlook its
attributes as a fast cruiser. The
interior is practical and simple:
twin-berth forepeak,
enclosed heads to
port amidships,
galley aft of the main
bulkhead to starboard and two
settee berths with two pilot berths
outboard in the saloon. Impalas
originally came with an outboard
motor in a well, but most now
have inboards.
The later Hunter Horizon 30
is an elongated cruising version of
the Impala, with a new deck and
counter stern. The interior is
dramatically different, with twin-
berth forepeak, saloon settees
and aft galley, heads compartment
and double aft cabin. Thanks to the
superb performance of Thomas’
twin keels (3ft 10in draught with
bulbed bases), almost all buyerschose this option. Its moderate
beam of 9ft 3in gives good handling
and its 43% ballast ratio, 234 DLR
and SA/displacement ratio of 19.8
provide sparkling performance.
Indeed, a twin-keeler took third
overall in its CHS class against a
horde of racy fin-keelers in one
Round the Island Race.
If you want a beamier fin-keel
cruiser-racer, the Thomas-
designed Sigma 292 is worth a
look. It didn’t sell in large numbers,
compared to the Sigma 33, but
shares many of its qualities. The
Thomas-designed Hunter
Channel 31 (30ft 4in OA) is an
exceptionally quick twin-keeler
and a delight to sail and live aboard;
but sadly, only a few were built.
And finally, going back a few years,
Chris Butler’s Achilles 9m also
sold well and excelled in the 1984
OSTAR, finishing in 30 days. This
sporty fin-keeler has a DLR of 190,
SA/displacement ratio of 15.5 and
a 43% ballast ratio. A tidy example
makes an excellent budget
cruiser-racer.NEXT MONTH
A selection of 28 to 30ft
imports from EuropeSailing ScenesSailing ScenesSailing ScenesSailing ScenesHunter Channel 31: available second-hand from £31,900Sigma 292: available second-hand from £19,950
Boats – UK-built 28 to 30ft cruisers
‘We like the way the yacht behaves in
all conditions, giving a sense of safety’
Hunter Horizon 30: available second-hand from £21,000
Achilles 9m: available second-hand from £11,750